Keeping The Heat In This Winter

If you've spent time organising your outdoor space to see you through until spring then don't forget it's every bit as important to make some small changes inside too to keep you toasty through the big chill.

We’ve pulled together a quick list of hints and tips to ensure that you’re all prepared.

Fireplaces

If you have open fires and you light them regularly then they should really be swept and checked by a professional once a year. Book a reputable sweep to check them

If you own your own home it makes sense to have some sort of cover for your heating system to avoid any unnecessary expense or worse still periods without any heating.

Get your boiler serviced before the weather changes, as winter can be very demanding on your boiler. Boiler engineers can be expensive to call out and are also often hugely busy during the winter months so you can have a lengthy wait for someone to come and fix the problem.

Always make sure that the engineer is gas safe registered so that all work is safe, compliant and legal

Before you clean your radiators make sure you release any trapped air inside them. It’s a really simple process to bleed radiators and prevents any cold spots, which can dramatically improve the efficiency of your central heating system. Who doesn’t want a warmer home and cheaper energy bills?

As well as the aesthetics of a clean radiator keeping them dust and fluff free will help to keep your heating costs down. Dust stuck in between the fins of a convector radiator will prevent heat from escaping, which mean your radiators have to work harder to heat your rooms.

There is dust in the air all of the time and the reason it clumps together and gets trapped in and around your radiator is because of the current of air that helps to circulate warmth around the room.

Before you start to clean your radiator make sure you have the following to hand to save time:

Vacuum cleaner

Duster

Soapy water

Cloths

Old towel or a dust sheet

A long stick or a ruler

Don’t forget to make sure that the heating is switched off to avoid you getting too hot!

Undercover

Invest in a warmer duvet this winter but make sure you find one that’s just right for your needs - a thicker duvet doesn’t necessarily mean warmer. Tog ratings measure the scale of warmth and refer to the effectiveness of a material’s thermal insulation.

It’s about the duvets ability to trap air and provide more warmth so make sure you check out which is best for you - a natural or a synthetic fibre.

You can also layer up with throws and extra blankets which not only gives you the snuggle factor but make a bed look much more inviting!

Thanks to Wendy at Customer Care for all your help. Can I just take the time to compliment your site manager Simon that dealt with our house. 99% of issues have now been sorted and the majority were.......
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